text:
It's a motif in Coen Brothers films to employ a virtuosic shot of an inanimate object: a hat or a hula hoop doing the Coens' whim seemingly by magic. In The Big Lebowski, the object is a tumbleweed, which—to the tune of its theme song, the Sons of the Pioneers' "Tumbling Tumbleweeds"—opens the film by rolling down from high plains into the Los Angeles Basin. It's one of the Brothers' plainest symbols, representing the film's main character, "The Dude," who drifts lazily through life. But it could also be read as another iteration of the Coens' worldview that shit happens, by random, depending on which way the godless wind is blowing.
Playing The Dude is Jeff Bridges, the man once described by critic Pauline Kael as "the most natural and least self-conscious screen actor that has ever lived." That canny assessment applies well to Bridges in Lebowski, endowing the Dude as he does with a goodhearted dimness and a zen capacity for recovery and contentedness that any tortured intellectual would envy. These qualities serve the Dude well when he's tested by a week that turns his life into a celebration of cinema genres, primarily the private-detective mystery. Loosely inspired by Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep, The Big Lebowski essays what happens when The Dude, whose birth name is Jeffrey Lebowski, gets mixed up with a millionaire (David Huddleston) by the same name. The entanglement involves an inept kidnapping scheme, The Dude's attempt to collect restitution for a damaged carpet, and sundry other collateral damage against the backdrop of the Gulf War. (For the record, brothers Ethan & Joel Coen always co-write their scripts, while Ethan takes producer credit and Joel the director credit.)
It would be easy to try to make too much of The Big Lebowski, but to do so would be to fall into a quintessential Coen-esque trap. Like all Coen films, this one is as meaningless as it is potentially profound, but above all, Coen films are always tightly scripted, brilliantly performed, thoughtful dialogues on classic film genres with a tart sense of humor. In The Dude, the Coens offer an upbeat philosophical approach to cruel fate: roll with the punches and "abide" (one of the film's many, many quotable lines: "The Dude abides"). For what is the alternative? We see them in The Dude's orbit, most notably in his bowling buddies Walter Sobchak (John Goodman, in a hilarious, semi-affectionate parody of writer-director John Milius) and Donny (Steve Buscemi): the former is a high-strung, survivalist "patriot" who invites trouble, while the latter fruitlessly expects answers in life but is destined to remain eternally clueless.
The Dude also encounters avant-garde artist Maude Lebowski (Julianne Moore), who's determined to collect his semen; a pack of nihilists (including Flea and Fargo fave Peter Stormare); porn impresario Jackie Treehorn (Ben Gazzara); Cuban-American registered sex offender Jesus Quintana (Coen regular John Turturro); and a mysterious, drawling "Stranger" (Sam Elliott) in cowboy garb. The encounters of The Dude and The Stranger (who amusingly serves as narrator) suggest the film could be an East-meets-Western as well as a neo-noir comedy, and if all this playfulness makes the result feel slight, give it a return viewing or two or three. It's a cult movie proven to grow on audiences, and its visual punch (abetted by stalwart Coen cinematographer Roger Deakins), off-kilter dialogue, and dedication to forward motion—it's one thing after another—make Lebowski eminently watchable. It's the whole proud, embarrassing sociopolitical, cultural heap of American history-and the American Century in particular-in two fleet, funny hours. Or have I made too much of it?
Universal rolls out the red carpet (and ties the room together) with the Blu-ray debut of The Big Lebowski in a handsome Digibook release. The glossy, full-color, 28-page Digibook includes a symbolic "roadmap" of the film, short essays, interview with Jeff "The Dude" Dowd, trivia (and trivia quiz), character guide, sampling of Jeff Bridges' set photographs, movie quotes, critical blurbs, and behind-the-scenes cast and crew quotations. Leaping over DVD, the Blu-ray's hi-def transfer impresses with its film-like texture, vividly improved color representation, and noticeable boost in detail. The transfer isn't perfect (edge enhancement, a touch of aliasing, and mild crush in the shadows hold a top score at bay)—call it a spare and not a strike—but this is definitely as good as the film has looked on home video and much better than the standard-def DVDs. The lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track can be considered definitive, likewise trouncing standard-def with surprisingly powerful dynamics and ambience, as well as full-bodied music and crucially clear dialogue.
The previously released "Exclusive Introduction" (4:40, SD) returns here, and it's a total hoot. Prepared by the Coens, this fictional introduction features film restorer "Mortimer Young" of "Forever Young Films." Enjoy.
Universal's patented U-Control blu-ray bonuses here include Scene Companion PiP video cast and crew interviews and behind-the-scenes footage, Mark it Dude counter tallying up profanities and "Dude-isms," and The Music of The Big Lebowski, identifying the source-music cuts as they play in the film.
"Jeff Bridges Photo Book" (17:30, HD) is a great look at a Jeff Bridges tradition of set photography; this feature allows viewers to share in the gift Bridges presented to his colleagues when the film wrapped.
Worthy Adversaries: What's My Line Trivia is an interactive feature allowing the viewer to "play along" with the film, a la a cult screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Retrospectives "The Dude's Life" (10:08, HD) and "The Dude Abides: The Big Lebowski Ten Years Later" (10:27, HD) gather humorous and reflective reminiscences about the film and its legacy from Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi and John Turturro.
"The Lebowski Fest: An Achiever's Story" (13:53, SD) is an excerpt from the documentary The Achievers, focusing on the Lebowski Fest phenomenon.
"Flying Carpets and Bowling Pin Dreams: The Dream Sequences of The Dude" (4:20, HD) briefly hones in on exactly what the title describes.
"The Making of The Big Lebowski" (24:35, SD) includes comments from the Coen Brothers, along with others in the cast and crew.
Also available here are a "Photo Gallery" (3:25, SD), Interactive Map of filming locations, and BD-Live and pocketBLU functionality.
This is the ultimate edition of The Big Lebowski: fans should not hesitate to collect it in best-quality HD, along with new extras and fantastic packaging.
Review gear: |
Panasonic Viera TC-P55VT30 55" Plasma 1080p 3D HDTV
Oppo BDP-93 Universal Network 3D Blu-ray Disc Player
Denon AVR2112CI Integrated Network A/V Surround Receiver
Pioneer SP-BS41-LR Bookshelf Speaker (2)
Pioneer SP-C21 Center Speaker
Pioneer SW-8 Subwoofer


text:
Squirrels have fuzzy tails.
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
I agree with you guys, but it's not impossible...Brushless can run underwater... for sure....They don't have any exposed electrical parts....And as soon as not much salt and other stuff stay in the bearings... what's the problem???
Both the magnets and the motor coil generally have iron, and they rust like a mother . . . they'll run fine underwater - until they rust up.
Yea, depends on the materials used for the motor. But a motor not designed for water, I wouldn't make any bets on longevity . . .
"""47 hours of sea water and countless dives before failing"""
I've worked on my robot fishes for years . . . 47 hours till failure would drive me crazy!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
What's New in iOS 8
Rubbish. It still says 4.48 hrs to download
Overall I am not happy with the 6 plus.. I intend on taking it back to my cellular carrier before my 14 day grace period ends.. Apple should not release product when there are still this many issues( the biggest to me being i cant use any wifi, i am better off using 3g) very dissapointed and will never buy another apple product again.. Android is leaving apple in the dust
troll, android is useless SO for useless nerds like u
Troll. Android is better than ios. Better features and performance. Apple has apps that run a bit smoother, and imessage is faster but it lacks personality and customization. It's horrible. Androids you can do anthing to your liking.
You can no longer delete a part of a message string. Delete All seems to be the only option. Why?
Press and hold a message than select "more…" you will be able to delete any message inside a string.
best typo – I don't think paying for apps makes you a god!
iOS 8 brings Family Sharing, which lets users share apps, music and movies purchased with other members of the family. Just add them and then use the same credit card across the accounts and you are god to go.
Guess you got lucky with your experience. Mine has been horrible. Took the 8.0 update on my 5s without any issues. Saw all the issues with 8.0.1 so skipped that and applied 8.0.2 because it "fixed" all the reported problems others were having only to have them now start on my phone. Phone has been a useless paperweight ever since then. WiFi drops constantly, flipping over to LTE all day long and skyrocketing my Cellular Data consumption. Battery is draining considerably faster as a result. Had to turn off Cellular Data for all of my Apps to curb the problem, rendering them useless half the time. The only thing that temporarily fixes the issue is rebooting the phone which is SO convenient. No acknowledgement from Apple this is a problem. STAY AWAY FROM THIS UPDATE LIKE THE PLAGUE!!!
Great comment. Glad I read it because I was seriously considering upgrading my 5S to the 8.2 software. Now I'll wait.
Thanks Dork -
This new software update iOS 8.0.2 really disturbed everything in my iPhone 5s. Everything slowdown and I am not able to do any thing properly what a bad software I experienced ever in iPhones. I would suggest do not shift from iOS 7 to iOS 8
lol. i'm still happily on ios 5 :D
what ios 5 :O???
I have an iphone 3g and ios 4.2.1 so….
guys i update to ios 8.1 but my phone is not openin just shows the apple icon :(( what should i do??!! help pelase
mine showed the apple icon with an incomplete status bar. had to restart and connect to itunes on my mac and after 2 failed updates, had to restore factory settings then update then restore from a backup.
This article is talking about iOS 8.1, which is later than 8.01, etc. It sounds remarkable!! But the 2 downfalls are huge!!😳😮 1. It'll need MORE space for photos/videos?! I've already maxed out in a couple of weeks on my current iOS! 2. If it doesn't work when downloaded, you might have to use iTunes & a cable (& you won't be able to go back to your previous iOS??!!)??!! Can you be more specific please? & ow that sounds awful! But FINALLY it says the camera will have a timer, it's needed that for 10 yrs!! FINALLY it'll save all the photos & videos…not just 1000. Duh why didn't they have this before?? So I'm still stuck with the dilemma…do I download iOS 8.1 or stay at whatever I have now? Whatever I have now sucks sooo much but it's better than losing it all & needing iTunes & a cable to restore it (oh wait I can't restore it because it won't use a previous iOS?!) & it's better than needing a new phone to store all the photos & videos (which I did previously but then my phone was stolen so now I'm back to the iPhone 4s when I had a iPhone 5s before)(oh which by the way the med. info feature sounds great unless someone steals my phone again & then has all my info!!)
i cn't instal ios 8 on my iphon5c getting very delay to download
Plugged my iPhone 4s into iTunes on the Mac and updated to 8.1. Works well.
it takes too long. I have been waiting for 5hours now. Please help I don't know what to do
Can I instal iOS 8.1 in my old iphone 4 16gb…. Wts review on that … Now my iphone is updates iOS 6 …. So plzz say what I do
Why was my iPhone 5 battery times short on wifi
There are some iPad 2 accessories even those sold on Apple Store that do not work once you upgrade to OS 8. So think first before you do.
I ve been waiting since 3:30 and it still going
IOS 6 was best, FAST, SMALL
IOS 6 did NOT cause blindness IOS 7 and 8 do. IOS 6 fast and small IOS7 and 8 slow and hogs. Cook did NOT learn from Msoft like Jobs. IOS6 users left in the cold. Next device most likely Samsung. Every new IOS creates user frustration NOT user relief. 16 gb iPad is great even if Apple trying to make it useless.
The 16 GB iPad 2 is best Apple will ever be, IOS6 is best apple will EVER be. They are trying to make their user base frustrated and it is working. Moving to Samsung And so will everyone else, you can dress casual but that diesn't mean you know what you are doing. No making good devices wi useless will not make you more money it will make samsung and microsoft more money. Im on the wY out of apple soon, thy hate their users.
Thank you, this website has been SOOOOOOOO helpful! i.e. I spent 30 mins on the phone to AppleCare today, coming away with likely having to factory reset my iPhone 4S, but thanks to your guys pages/vids about speeding up iPhone 4S on iOS 8.1.3, I am saved! Truly, thank you so much :)
When I first started it said 2 hours now it is up to 3 it is taking forever to download the ios 8.2
Very confusing. Which is 7 and which is 8? It seems to be on the left one time and on the right in the next shot.
After reading the article I was nearly convinced to finally switch from iPhone 4 to iPhone 6, but after reading the comments I'm not quite as convinced. As a matter of fact, I'm a little unsure about staying with Apple at all. Although I paid for a lot of apps and music through the years, the songs I can keep using but any apps would be dead. I am noticing a lot of slow and lost connections with my old phone, which I thought was my Internet or wifi. Recently I loaded Periscope and just about every feed had issues and I like watching streams of news and movies, but even app updates sputter out. What to do?
If I am going to buy an Apple iPod 5g this year, how long will I be able to use it for before it needs to be updated and my apps start to not work? Thanks.
I think that everything posted made a lot of sense.
However, consider this, suppose yyou wrokte a catchier title?
I mean, I don't want to tell you how to run your blog, however what if you added a post title
that grabbed a person's attention? I mean What's New in iOS 8 is
a little boring. You might glance at Yahoo's front page and watch how they create post titles to grrab people interested.
Yoou might aadd a related video or a pic oor two to grab readers interested about what you've got to say.
Just my opinion, it would make your website a little bit more interesting. -
I always look to gather new knowledge. I'm especially interested in topics related to blogging and posts and general internet process so I am really pleased I found your page. It really was engaging to read. Thank you for that.
fantabulous information always sharing my needs. Thanks for the instructions.


text:
We continue tonight in our Bible study on the subject of origins. As you well know, we are studying now the origin of sin and its impact. This is message number four on that subject, so far based somewhat loosely, admittedly, on Genesis chapter 3. If you would like to open your Bible to Genesis chapter 3, we will begin there. The third chapter begins with these words, "Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, 'Indeed, has God said, "You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?"' And the woman said to the serpent, 'From the fruit of the trees in the garden, we may eat. But from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, "You shall not eat from it or touch it, lest you die.' And the serpent said to the woman, 'You surely shall not die. For God knows that in the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.' And the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes and that the tree was desirable to make one wise. She took from its fruit and ate. And she gave also to her husband with her and he ate. And the eyes of both of them were opened and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings."
Now with those opening seven verses of Genesis chapter 3, you have the fall of man. The bliss enjoyed by the creation ends at that point. Up to that moment, as we have learned, everything was very good. The comment in chapter 1 verse 31 is a comment that stays in force until the fall, "God saw all the He had made and behold it was very good." And we have been saying that you cannot understand the current state of the universe, and you certainly can't understand the current problems with humanity, unless you understand the third chapter in the Bible because here you have the origin of sin and its impact.
Remember now, God the Creator is all good and only good. And His original creation was a reflection of that goodness. God is not the author of evil, as I pointed out last week, or He would be both good and evil. And if God were both good and evil, He could not triumph over evil nor could He save sinners from evil. The biblical revelation of the original creation then, as only and completely good, preserves and protects the goodness of God, making the source of evil outside of God. And because the source of evil is outside of God, God, who is perfect goodness, can triumph over evil and save man from it.
Evil entered the human realm, it entered the physical universe, by the disobedience of Adam and Eve of which we have just read. The source of sin was the disobedience of man. When Adam and Eve disobeyed, evil became a reality. As I told you last week, evil was not created. It is not a force. It is not a being. It is not an entity. It is the absence of goodness. It is a negative. It is the absence of moral perfection. And we also said last time that God, though not the author or creator of evil, decreed evil a part of His plan. It had a place and has a place in His plan, so that He might display His grace, which can only be displayed, by its very nature, when He forgives sinners. He wanted to display His judgment, which can only be displayed when He condemns sinners. And He wanted to destroy evil forever, which can only be done when evil exists. And all of these things to God's everlasting glory.
Now that's what we know about the origin of evil. It came into our world through the choice of Adam and Eve. They chose to disobey God's command. They, therefore, brought evil into this created world. There was no external cause for sin, no deterministic cause and effect, only a choice made by intelligent, rational man. Even the tempter, the serpent, could not force such disobedience. He could only suggest it. The choice by Adam and Eve was an expression of the measure of freedom that God gave them so that the guilt belongs to them alone.
Now all that leads us back to the serpent. And verse 1 begins, "Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman" – we are here introduced to the tempter. And this is a serpent. We said last time the words here indicate that this is a reptile. The word nachash is used interchangeably in other portions of the Old Testament with the word tannin. Nachash means reptile. Tannin means or was translated dragon in some places. So this was some kind of animal, a real animal, some kind of reptile or dragon. No doubt to some degree, an upright creature because when cursed was cursed to crawl on his belly, either as a snake crawls or as some reptile, like an alligator, crawls with very short appendages and legs. But when this reptile appeared in the garden, it must have been prior to the curse, which cast it down the ground, as we read in chapter 3 verse 14. And therefore we assume that this was some magnificent, beautiful reptile in an upright position at that time.
Now this is a particular animal. This particular animal is given a particular facility by an indwelling spiritual power to speak, and that is why the text says this particular serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field. This was a more wise – the word crafty, I told you last time, means wise or cunning. It is a kind of wisdom, a kind of intelligence that is being referred to here. This is an intelligent being. And we know that because of the speech. And the level of intelligence is indicated because this personality that is in the body of this reptile, knows about conversations between God and His creatures Adam and Eve. He even purports to know God better than they do. And to know themselves better than they do and better than God does.
The question at this point then, who is this? Who is this reptile and where did he come from? We understand how sin got into the human realm. But how did sin touch this creature? That's where it all really starts. Who is this reptile? And I told you last time, the answer is given very clearly to us in Revelation 12:9, clear at the other end of the Bible, and also Revelation chapter 20 verse 2. And I will just briefly read them to you. Revelation 20 verse 2 refers to the dragon, "The serpent of old who is the devil and Satan." So we know who this dragon/serpent is. It is the devil and Satan. Revelation 12:9, "The great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old, who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world." It is this devil, this deceiver, this Satan who appeared first of all as a serpent or a dragon in the Garden. This then is Satan, Satan who takes over the body of a reptile and uses that body as a vehicle to have a conservation that plunges the entire universe into sin.
Now the question is where did Satan come from? And how are we to understand his character and his work? Now Satan we are very familiar with, as Bible students. He is described in the Bible in careful detail. We are glad that we know about his origin. That's very important. We're glad that we know about his character. We're glad that we know about his work, because we want to understand all of that. It's important for us to know about his origin. It's important for us to know about how it was that he became a sinful creature and became the tempter. It's very important for us know that, lest we think that God was the creator of evil. If we didn't know about the origin of evil in this personality called Satan and the other demons who fell along with him, it might contribute to some assumption that God in fact is the creator of evil. But the story of Satan is so well told in the Bible that it doesn't leave us with any question about where evil came from. And it's just the way it is in the human realm. It came by a choice made by Adam and Eve. And that's how it started in Satan's case. It came by a choice that he made.
We can know this source of the supernatural tempter. We can follow him from the time of his fall to his ultimate casting into the lake of fire. We can see his wicked enterprise from the Garden, where it starts, to the end of the millennial kingdom where he brings about the final revolution which Christ puts down and then destroys the universe and casts Satan and all his hosts into the lake of fire. And so we can know the whole story from Eden to the end of the millennial kingdom, and even before Eden, because we can know where Satan came from to begin with. The study of Satan is a wide and full revelation in Scripture, because it is essential to the redemptive purpose of God and to sustaining the glory of God and the holiness of God and never impugning God as a source of evil. It is also important, not only to be clear on the source of evil, but to understand Satan because he is our enemy. And we do not want to be ignorant of him or his devices, so says the Scripture in 2 Corinthians 11:2. We don't want to fall prey to the subtle deceptions of Satan today, even as he was successful in deceiving Adam and Eve in the garden.
So what I want to try to do is to give you, first of all, something you probably don't have, and that is an Old Testament look at Satan. I want you to see what the Old Testament teaches about Satan, because it is very instructive. We get a lot more instruction in the New Testament. We see Satan working feverishly during the ministry of Jesus Christ, and his character is then expounded upon. Illustrations of how he operates are given, and the power that Christ has over him is explicitly demonstrated in the gospels. We learn more about Satan in the book of Acts. We learn more yet about him in the epistles. And finally, we learn about him in his final exercise against God in the time of the tribulation and his final demise in the book of Revelation.
But it is not often that we take a good look at the first explanation of Satan, which occurs in the Old Testament. He is a major personality here in the story of origins. And for us to understand this, and its clarity, we need to take a look at the early mentions of Satan. Now he's only mentioned by that name three times in the Old Testament. The English word Satan, S-A-T-A-N, comes from the Hebrew word Satan. It's just transliterated. It is the word used most frequently in the Old Testament to describe this personality. It is used not always as proper name. The word satan can have a small S. It is the word for adversary. It is the word for opponent. And it is used in that way. For example, in Numbers 22 and verse 22 and verse 32; in 1 Samuel 29:4; 2 Samuel 19:22; in 1 Kings, a number of places, chapter 5 verse 4 and 11, chapter 14 verses 23 and 25, and then the cognate verb appears in another couple of places; as well in the Psalms, I think it's Psalm 38 and Psalm 71. So it is a word that simply in Hebrew means adversary – adversary. It can be used of any adversary of Israel or any adversary of a person who took up cause of opposition against that person.
It is also true that the word satan as adversary can also take on a legal meaning. In other words, it could be the word prosecuting attorney or accuser. And that is a very common usage of that word as well. It is used that way Psalm 109, for example, in verse 6 and also in Ezra chapter 4 verse 6. So it is a word that means opponent. It can be in a very general sense an adversary or an opponent. Or it can take on a legal sense in being a prosecuting attorney, someone who sets up a case and an indictment against someone else. And that is precisely how Satan is defined. Satan is our adversary. He is our opponent. He is not only our adversary and our opponent, but he is the adversary and opponent of God and of all the enterprises of God and of the people of God and of the Son of God, as we well learn in the New Testament as well as the Old. He is also the prosecuting attorney. He is the one who goes before God and sets indictments before God about His own beloved people. He is the accuser of the brethren. He is the prosecutorial attorney who stands at the right hand of God, as it were, indicting us. And so he is first and foremost our enemy, our archenemy. And he certainly appears that way when he shows up in the garden. Doesn't he? And he wants to destroy all that man has been given in the wonder of the perfect creation, because he hates God and he hates man.
Now there are three Old Testament references. Let's look at the first one, Job chapter 1 – Job chapter 1. One of the most satisfying studies that I did in writing The MacArthur Study Bible was the work I did on Job. And I would commend to you to read that. Read it thoroughly. Read the introductory material. Read the book. Read all the notes. Because this a profound, profound, marvelous drama played out on the pages of the book of Job. But it is in the book of Job that for the first time Satan is identified. This is a book, by the way – Job – from the Genesis period. Job, no doubt, lived during the time of patriarchs in the Genesis period. So it's a very early book in terms of its place in the chronology of the Old Testament and redemptive history.
Now in the book of Job, Satan is called the satan, the adversary. It's not yet a proper name, early on. He is the opponent, the adversary. Now as the fascinating story opens, we can pick it up in chapter 1 verse 6, "There was a day when the sons of God" – those would angels. That's one of the reasons I believe they are also angels in Genesis 6, where they cohabitate with the daughters men. But, "There was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and the satan also came among them." And here for the first time we're introduced formally to this adversary. Now all of these beings, the sons of God and the satan, are portrayed here as subordinate to God. We are in the scene before the throne of God with angels, sons of God, and with Satan. They have an enterprise in mind. In verse 7, "The LORD said to Satan, 'From where do you come?' And Satan answered the LORD and said, 'From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.'" What was he doing? What's he doing roaming around on the earth? First Peter 5:8 answers that, "Satan goes about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."
You see Satan, even early on in the book of Job, which is in the time Genesis, has been emboldened greatly. He is really emboldened in his enterprise. He believes that his enterprise can be effective. You know why? Because he had great success with unfallen Adam and unfallen Eve. How much greater success will he have with everybody else who is cast into fallenness because of their sin? If his enterprise was successful in the perfect world of Adam and Eve, in the perfection of God's very good creation, how much more successful will it be in the fallen world? At least that's how Satan thinks. So he is emboldened by the success he enjoyed with the unfallen Adam and Eve in Eden. And he's confident that if the unfallen collapse before him so readily, certainly the fallen will be easy prey. And this is the first episode we have with Satan outside the Garden. And it indicates his strategy.
What Satan is doing is roaming around on the earth, trying to destroy people, trying to destroy them. He is a destroyer. And particularly is he interested in destroying people who have faith in God. He wants to destroy their faith. Like with Peter, he wants to take Peter and sift him like wheat and have him blow away like chaff, a failure. He wants to come at Paul, like in 2 Corinthians 12, like a messenger from Satan ramming a spear through his heart to make him resent God. He wants to come to Jesus, Matthew 4 and Luke 4, and catch Him in a moment of physical weakness after a 40-day fast in the mountains and tempt Him to disobey God and to grab His glory and grab His earthly power and grab His personal satisfaction and therefore disobey God. He wants to see the fall of everybody including Jesus Christ. He wants then, secondly, to indict God's people before God's throne. If he can't destroy their faith and cause them to be disqualified by apostasy, he wants God to reject them because the list of their sins is so long. Satan is geared to the destruction of God's people, primarily. Obviously he wants to damn the whole human race, but his particular preoccupation is with those who belong to God, i.e., Adam and Eve and Job and Peter and Paul and others. His hope is that if he can't destroy their faith, he can destroy their integrity before God by a long list of indictments. That's why Revelation 12:10 calls him the accuser of the brethren. So that's what he's doing. He's going all over the world and he's trying to destroy people.
At the same time, he's accumulating information about people, about their sins and about their failures. And he keeps his list in his supernatural mind. And he shows up at the throne of God like a prosecuting attorney and takes his place before the throne of God, the great judge, and says, I'd like to bring a case against So-and-so. And I have a long list of sins for which this person should be indicted, prosecuted, and executed. This person is not worthy, God, to bear Your name. This person doesn't deserve to have a relationship with You. If You threw me out of heaven for what I did, You ought to throw them out of heaven for what they have done. And maybe that's how he makes his case. You know, the list of sins on my part, he might say, were so small it was just pride and for that I was thrown out. Look at this list, far longer – far longer. And so he is the accuser and he is the destroyer. Working on both fronts to destroy the faith of God's people and to destroy God's commitment to them by indicting them before Him.
God knows what he's after, so in verse 8, He responds, "And the LORD said to Satan, 'Have you considered my servant, Job?'" You want to destroy somebody? Let Me take initiative in this. And I like the fact that God takes initiative, because He immediately establishes that He is in complete control of what Satan can do. Did you get that? God is in total control of everything Satan can do. He determines what Satan can do and what Satan cannot do.
A couple of weeks ago, remember, I talked to you about people who come to our church out of the Pentecostal charismatic movement where they lived under the sovereignty of Satan? If you get sick, it's the devil that did it. If you have a problem in life, it's the devil that did it. If you lose your job, the devil did it. If your child gets sick, the devil did it. If things go wrong in the country or around you, it's the devil who's doing it all. And they live under the fearful attitude that Satan is sovereign. Well that is a great lie and produces needless fear. And Satan is not sovereign. As Martin Luther said, "The devil is God's devil." God is sovereign.
And the initiative here comes from God. In verse 9, "Satan answered the LORD" – after the Lord said there's nobody like Job, a blameless man, an upright man, fears God, turning away from evil. I mean God's giving him the very best He's got. And we're going to find out what kind of power Satan has. This is going to make the point pretty well, because if the best man collapses under Satan's power, everybody under him is going to go too. So I'm sure Satan really wanted this supreme test. "Satan answered the LORD, 'Does Job fear God for nothing?'" Come on! Sure he's loyal to You. Of course he's loyal to You. It's obvious. "Have you not made a hedge around him and his house and all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands. His possessions have increased in the land." Well, what do You expect? Of course he's loyal to You. Look at him. You've made him rich. "But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has, and he'll curse You to Your face." I mean I can understand why Satan might think that is true. I mean Adam and Eve were willing to disobey God and turn on God when they had everything. Wouldn't it be a logical assumption that Job would bail out if you took everything he had away from him? So the Lord said to Satan, in verse 12, "All that he has is in your power." The Lord puts limits on the devil, always. "All that he has is in your power, only don't put forth your hand on him." You can't touch him. You can just touch what he has. "So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD."
Now what's going on here is quite interesting. Satan is saying to God, Job's loyalty to You is grounded in self-interest. Job's to loyalty to You is grounded in prosperity. It is prosperity that has made him loyal. It is prosperity that's made him faithful. So let me tell you what Satan's saying. This is amazing. Satan is insinuating that God is naïve. Did you pick that up? That God is naïve. You're really naïve. You really don't know this guy's heart. I know him. You are – Satan in impugning God, saying, you are blessing Job in ignorance. That is a brash thing to come before the throne of God and say. If You really knew Job like I know Job, Satan is saying, You would know that he wasn't righteous because he really cared about You. He was only righteous because You gave him all the things You gave him. He's saying, God, I hate to tell this, but You're not omniscient. You don't know Job. And You don't know his motive. And You don't know why he is the way he is. You are really ignorant and naïve. And I'm here to tell You the truth. Not only are You naïve, God, You're wrong. You're wrong. You are unwittingly blessing Job, and therefore You are unwittingly pandering to his selfishness, to his shallowness, and to his hypocritical faithfulness. God, You are messing up big time. Let me show you the truth about Job. Let me at him. I'll show You how naïve, how ignorant, how wrong You are.
You think Satan was bold? Can't imagine being any bolder than that. Satan won't hesitate to indict you. He'll stand in the throne of God and indict God. And so Satan says, let me reverse his conditions. Let me reverse his circumstances. And I'll tell You right now, his faith will fail. His faith will fail. He'll turn on You. And when he does that, I'll come right back as the prosecuting attorney and bring up all his crimes against You and lay them right before You. If You'll let me work on Job and reverse his circumstances, then You will learn the truth about him. Again, You're just not omniscient, God. So God gives him the most righteous man on earth and says, okay, go prove your point at the maximum level. If Job fails surely all the lesser ones would as well. So go make your point. I'll give you the premier opportunity. If you can knock off the best one, surely the lessers will tumble after. But you can't touch him. I love that. You know why He says that? Because Satan is a murderer. Right? From the beginning, he is a destroyer. And he would like to do everything possible, probably ultimately including the destruction of Job. But God says, "You can't touch him."
Well the scene shifts then in verse 13. "It happened on a day when" – now meanwhile back on earth, Job's having a meal, eating and drinking wine in the house of the oldest brother. Job doesn't know what's gone on in heaven. Never in this whole book does he know about the conversation between God and Satan. He has no clue why things happened. God never tells him. It's a tremendous story of trust when you don't have answers. A messenger comes in and says, "'The oxen were plowing, the donkeys feeding beside them and Sabeans attacked and took them. They also slew the servants with the edge of the sword. And I, alone, have escaped to tell you.' While he was still speaking, another also came and said, 'The fire of God fell from heaven' – assuming it was the fire of God – 'and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them. And I alone have escaped to tell you.' And while he was speaking another came and said, 'The Chaldeans formed three bands and made a raid on the camels, took them; slew the servants with the edge of the sword. I alone have escaped to tell you.' While he was still speaking another also came and said, 'Your sons, your daughters were eating and drinking wine in your oldest brother's house. And behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness, struck the four corners of the house, it fell on the young people and they all died. And I alone have escaped to tell you.'" I mean, everybody's dead. Everything's gone.
"Job rose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell to the ground and" – amazingly, what did he do? He worshipped. Worshipped? Aren't you supposed to shake your fist and curse God? He worshipped. "He said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb and naked I shall return there. The LORD gave. The LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.' And through all of this Job didn't sin nor did he blame God." Wow. Sorry, Satan. You can't break saving faith because it's supernatural. And God is, after all, omniscient. He did know Job. Didn't He? He did know Job, and He knew that Job's faith was real and that it would be the same whether he had all those things or had none of them, because true faith is a divine gift. It's supernatural. It's not subject to human circumstances. It's a gift of God.
Satan is pretty relentless and he wasn't done trying to prove the Arminian theory of apostasy. He is the original Arminian. Chapter 2, another day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, Satan shows up. He's going to try to again. "The Lord said to Satan, 'Where have you come from?' Satan answered the Lord and said, 'From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.'" Just going around doing harm. Just making trouble. Creating chaos. Trying to destroy people. "And the Lord said, Have you considered My servant, Job.'" A little tongue in cheek. Want to take another whack? Giving him full opportunity. And if you're ever going to prove that you can destroy a person's salvation, if you're ever going to prove the doctrine or the theory of Arminian apostasy, here's where you have to go. See if it can happen. So God says, "There's nobody like him on earth." They have the same speech over again, "Blameless and upright man fearing God, turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause." He hasn't changed. He hasn't wavered. His faith is still real.
"And Satan answered the Lord and said" – ah, yeah, but – "'Skin for skin!'" You didn't let me touch him. Now you let him touch him. And I'll tell you right now, he'll prove the Arminian theory of apostasy. He'll defect. Just let me get at his personal life. "Yes," verse 4, "all that a man has he'll give for his life. You put forth Your hand now and touch his bone and his flesh, he'll curse You face to face." He still insists, God, You're naïve. God, You're ignorant. God, You're wrong. You don't know this guy. You're not omniscient. I'm telling You, if You let me touch his flesh, he will curse You to the face. And the Lord, knowing that he is a killer, limits him again in verse 6, and says, "Behold, he's in your power, only spare his life." Again, God is sovereign over Satan.
But what we're seeing here – follow this. What you see in the character of Satan is evil personified. This is a malevolent, sinister, wicked, destructive, murderous personality. That is this person called Satan. All he wants is to kill and to destroy, Scripture says. And he wants either to destroy the faith of those who are God's or to destroy God's commitment to them by accusing them before Him.
So in verse 7, "Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and he smote Job with sore boils from the sole of the foot to the crown of his head." Now some translations, I think it's the New King James, says painful boils. We don't know the nature of this. We do know – if you study the book of Job chapter 2, 3, chapter 7, chapter 13, chapter 16, chapter 19, I think even into chapter 30 – this was very traumatic suffering, extraordinary physical distress, with broken pieces of pottery just scraping at his scabs trying to get some relief. No medicine. No pain relief. Perhaps his boils were similar to those of the Egyptians in Exodus chapter 9 and those of Hezekiah in 2 Kings chapter 20, tremendous suffering. And there he is, in verse 8, scraping himself, sitting in a pile of ashes. And his wife, who is no help – I've often thought there must have been days when he wished the Lord had just taken her with everybody else. And she says, in verse 9, "Do you still hold fast your integrity? Why don't you curse God and die?" That kind of tells you whether she was a believer or not. Doesn't it? Why don't you just curse God and die? You're going to hang onto this deal? "But he said to her, 'You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?' In all this Job did not sin with his lips." Aren't you glad? That has tremendous implications for you, because the devil would want to do to you the very same thing he'd wanted to do to Job. He'd want to destroy and your faith and then go to God and indict you and have God damn you. But saving faith can't be broken.
What do we learn from this about Satan? He is the adversary. He is the opponent. And here is a model; here is a picture; here is an illustration of what he wants to do to everyone who belongs to God. He is the adversary of God. He is the adversary of God's people. He works to incite disloyalty to God, because he hates God and he hates humanity, and most particularly he hates redeemed humanity. He is however, controlled by God, though he blasphemes God by calling into question God's omniscience. That's the first picture we have of the satan. And that's an illustration of how he works today, going around like a roaring lion seeking to devour.
The second Old Testament mention comes in Zechariah chapter 3 – the prophet Zechariah, next to the last Old Testament book, chapter 3. And this again is another interesting picture. As I said there are only three Old Testament texts that deal with Satan by name. And here in Zechariah chapter 3 we read in the first couple of verses, "He showed Joshua, the high priest, standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at His right hand to accuse him. And the LORD said to Satan, 'The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?' Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel. And he spoke and said to those who were standing before him, saying, 'Remove the filthy garments from him.' And he said to him, 'See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes.' And put a clean turban on his head and" – they did that – "and clothed him with garments while the angel of the Lord was standing by." Boy, this is so dramatic.
Again, the scene is an interesting scene. It is a courtroom scene; it's using that adversary, that word satan. Here again, it has the definite article, the satan, the adversary. And in this case Joshua – not the Joshua that you're familiar with who seceded Moses – but Joshua, the high priest of the restoration, which post-Babylonian captivity the people have come back in the first group led by Zerubbabel. And this man, Joshua, was the high priest of that restoration group, that group that come back to rebuild Jerusalem. And he is accused by Satan. And you can see the picture. He is pointing to Joshua and he's accusing him. And what's the source of that accusation? It's in the imagery of verse 3, "Joshua was clothed with filthy garments." And so what he's doing is pointing out that this is a sinful man. And he's saying, you know, God, You've got Your high priest down there and he's representing You, and he's a filthy person. He's sinful.
And furthermore, the imagery here is of Joshua, not only as a man, but Joshua – follow – as a representative of Jerusalem which is a representative of the people of God, Israel. So Satan is indicting a man; and behind that man, the city; and behind that city, the people of Israel. We know that because the rebuke in verse 2 is, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed the LORD has chosen Jerusalem." So Joshua sort of stands for the people. Look – Satan is saying – God, look at this. Here is your best man. Here is Your high priest, the man who makes the connection between the people and You. This man is a filthy sinner representing a country or a nation of filthy sinners. You just need to destroy them all. You just need to destroy them all. So here is the malicious adversary standing in the presence of the Lord, as evidenced by the angel of the Lord, to pronounce upon Israel divine judgment for their sins and their unworthiness of God's favor. And Satan is saying, You just need to damn them all, God. Look how filthy they are. If God rejects Joshua, who's the high priest, in effect He rejects Jerusalem, which means He rejects the nation. Now nothing would satisfy Satan more than the destruction of an individual unless it's the destruction of the whole people of God. One of the interesting studies that you can engage in, in the Bible, is to follow the pattern of Satan's attempt to destroy the people of God. And it goes through the whole of redemptive history, Old Testament and New Testament.
Well how did the Lord respond to this? In verse 2, "The LORD said to Satan, 'The LORD rebuke you, Satan!'" The angel of the Lord is here identified as the Lord thus verifying this messenger is deity. And the message is crucial. God has not cast off the Jews. He will keep the Abrahamic covenant. He will keep the Davidic covenant. He will keep His people because He has chosen Jerusalem. I love that. He has chosen Jerusalem. They are the elect. This is a brand plucked from the fire. Thus, Satan again is pictured. He comes to accuse an individual, in the case of Job; to indict an individual, in the case of Job; to destroy an individual believer, in the case of Job. And he comes in this scenario to destroy all the people of God. And God protects His own because He keeps His covenant. God confirmed here His purposes for Israel, sweeping from Zechariah's time all the way to the consummation of human history. And God shows by illustration how He did it. Yes, Joshua did have filthy garments, verse 3. But the Lord removed them and gave him clean garments. What's that a picture of? The doctrine of – or the work of justification, forgiveness.
So what do we learn then? We learn that the adversary, the opponent, the prosecuting attorney is Satan. He hates God. He hates God's people. He hates God's nation. He is a promoter of apostasy. He opposes God's purpose. If he can't get the believer to turn against God, he'll work to get God to turn against the believer.
Well there's one more mention of the name Satan. Turn back to 1 Chronicles chapter 21. This chronologically, the account we're going to read about in 1 Chronicles 21, obviously doesn't fit into the flow that we're in. But it's helpful for us because it turns a bit of a corner that I think is informative. "Then Satan" – and I just want to comment. The definite article disappears here. Now it's no longer the adversary but the proper name that is used. So we can conclude that sometimes he is the adversary and sometimes he's just Adversary, and it becomes a proper name. And we're not surprised, in verse 1, "He stood up against" – whom? – "against Israel." I mean why would he be so concerned to destroy Israel? Because Israel is the people of promise. Israel is the witness nation for the gospel to go to the world. Israel has been given the law and the prophets and the promises and the covenants and all of that. Israel is the key to the transmission of the salvation message to the world. And even though they're unfaithful today there is going to be a day when they turn and repent and are cleansed and proclaim the gospel to the world. We know that's going to happen. It's going to start in the time of the tribulation and extend through the thousand-year millennial kingdom. And they will receive the blessing God promised to them when they are cleansed, when they do believe, and they will become that nation. In the meantime, the Lord has cut a new channel, a new people, the people who we knew as the church. And Satan is as viciously against the church, the true church, as he was against the people of God, Israel, because the church now stands as the witness nation in the world. And he works to destroy the church as he works to destroy Israel.
"Satan stood up against Israel" – it's what he had in mind. How did he do it in this case? "He moved David to number Israel." The world moved is the same word used in Job chapter 2 verse 3, it translated incited. There was a census in Moses' time, but God authorized it. This is census that David did, prompted by Satan. And David did it because he wanted to exalt his pride. He wanted to count all the people in order to demonstrate the great strength and the great power and the great force. He wanted to take credit for building a great army. "So David said to Joab and the princes of the people, 'Go number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan and bring me word that I may know their number.' Joab said, 'May the LORD add to his people a hundred times as many as they are. But my lord the king, are they not all the lord's servants, why does my lord seek this thing? Why should he be a curse of guilt to Israel?'" He knew that this was forbidden by God. But David was proud. And they did it.
And verse 7 says, "God was displeased with this thing, so He struck Israel. And David said to God, 'I have sinned greatly in that I have done this thing. But now please take away the iniquity of Thy servant, for I have done very foolishly.' And the LORD spoke to Gad, David's seer, saying, 'Go and speak to David saying, "Thus says the LORD, 'I will offer you three things. Choose for yourself one of them that I may do it to you.'"' And Gad came to David and said to him, 'Thus says the Lord, "Take for yourself either three years of famine, or three months to be swept away before your foes while the sword of your enemies overtakes you, or else three days the sword of the Lord even pestilence in the land, and the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the territory of Israel." Now therefore, consider what answer I shall return to Him who sent me.' And David said to Gad, 'I'm in great distress. Please let me fall unto the hand of the Lord for His mercies are very great. But do not let me fall unto the hand of men.' So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel; seventy thousand men of Israel fell."
David knew that if he allowed anything to go on for three years or three months, the people would rise up and kill him. So he said give me the short punishment. "God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As he was about to destroy it, the LORD the saw and was sorry over the calamity, said to the destroying angel, 'It's enough, relax your hand.'" Wow. This really angered God. David wasn't acting only for himself. Imagine, one man sins and seventy thousand people die. Now that sounds like what happened in the Garden, doesn't it? One man sinned and the guilt is imputed to the whole of humanity.
So this is what Satan does. He wants to do things that are massively destructive. And he knows that God is a holy God who has holy reaction against evil. And Satan works his work of temptation to bring about destruction. And here, because of God's own holiness, God Himself, in the protection and exaltation of that holiness through the temptation and sin, executes His own people. But there's another side to this. Turn to 2 Samuel 24 – 2 Samuel 24. This is interesting. Here is the parallel passage – the parallel passage. Verse 1, "Now again, the anger of the LORD burned against Israel. And it" – it? What's it? "The anger of the Lord burned against Israel and it incited David against them to say 'Go number Israel and Judah.'" Wow. Let me get to the picture here. First Chronicles 21 says Satan incited David to number Israel. Here it says the anger of God incited David to number Israel. That's not a contradiction, is it? Didn't I say before, the devil is God's devil? There's no contradiction here. Satan was the instrument to do the will of God. You say, well, why in the world would God want to incite Israel – to incite David to do this, to number Israel?
The answer, I think, can be simply understood. It says in verse 1 of this chapter, first of all, the anger of the Lord burned against Israel. Before there was any numbering, God was furious with His people for their wickedness and for their sin. He was furious with them. And so God, within the framework of His purposes, allows Satan to go and incite David to do this numbering. And it's really like taking some great infection that already exists under the skin, and popping it through the surface so that it can be revealed for what it truly is and surgically excised. The infection was already there. God was angry. And God allowed Satan to step in to that which was festering under the surface, just under the hypocritical religion, and to bring temptation against David, who, in his pride, which already was in his heart, and self-centeredness already in his heart, would cause him to do something that would show the corruption and bring it the surface and allow God to move in. So that when God destroyed those seventy thousand people, it wasn't that they were not guilty and perished because of the sin of David. It was that they were actually guilty of sins against God, as a people.
So what are we saying? We're saying that the satan, the adversary Satan, sets himself against the purposes of God, against the people of God but always operates only within the framework of God's purposes. Right? He's not sovereign. God is sovereign. And God will allow Satan to bring about temptation that surfaces corruption below the surface. He will also allow Satan to bring about powerful tests to prove the unbreakable nature of saving faith. He will also allow Satan to come before His throne and bring his long list of indictments, only to be sent away with the statement, "No indictment stands," because that sinner has had his filthy garments removed and he's been clothed in a clean garment. Right? So Satan is the accuser. He's trying to destroy faith. He's trying to destroy the faith of God's people, trying to get them to turn against God. Can't do that with true believers. Then he tries to get God to turn against them. Can't do that either. Satan is one frustrated personality. And all he can do is function within the confines of God's sovereign purpose. And whether it's the purging and cleansing of Israel or the purging and cleansing of Job to bring Job to a higher level of worship and devotion.
If you study the Bible, you will find that God uses Satan to judge sinners: Mark 4:15, 2 Corinthians 4:4. God uses Satan to refine saints: Job 42:6, Luke 22:31 and 32, and 2 Corinthians 12 in the case of Paul. God also uses Satan to discipline believers. We see that in that same passage. It's also indicated in 1 Timothy 1:20 and 1 Corinthians chapter 5. It really was neither God nor Satan that forced David to sin here. Certainly God doesn't tempt anybody to sin, the Bible makes that clear. Satan can't make you sin. The devil doesn't make you do anything. It's your choice. Your fallenness is the problem. So God didn't force David to sin. He had a choice. Obviously. Satan didn't force David to sin. But God did allow Satan to tempt David and God knew that David would choose to sin, because He knew his heart. And that would allow God to have reason enough, having surfaced the wickedness, to move toward that infection and clean it out.
And by the way, David took complete responsibility for his sin. He really did. He didn't blame Satan. First Chronicles 21:8, David said to God, "I have sinned greatly in that I have done this thing ... Please take away the iniquity of thy servant for I have done very foolishly." Three times: I've sinned greatly; I've done this thing; I've done very foolishly. David never passed the guilt off. Never blamed Satan. It's not Satan. He certainly, didn't blame God. Down in verse 17, further, 1 Chronicles 21:17, David said to God, "Is it not I who commanded to count the people? Indeed, I am the one who has sinned and done very wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? O LORD my God, please let Thy hand be against me and my father's household, but not against Thy people that they should be plagued." But David didn't know the sins of the people as well as God did. But David wants to take full responsibility. The devil doesn't make you do it. Sin is of your volition. And the judgment that fell on David, demonstrates that God held David accountable for his actions.
So those are the three Old Testament passages. And they give us a picture of how Satan operates. So we've answered some basic questions. Who was that serpent in Eden? And who is this adversary, this satan, this opponent of God and angels and men? We've answered that. We've now met him. Now that leads us to a second and really fascinating question. In the perfection of original creation, where did he come from. Right? Where'd he come from? All of a sudden he appears in the Garden, this wicked, malevolent hater of God and hater of God's people and hater of humanity, this liar, this destroyer, this murderer, this wicked being. Where did he come from? Well, I'm going to answer that question but not tonight. Let me tell you this. Sin originated with him. It originated in the created physical world with Adam and Eve. It originated first of all with this personality. And next Sunday night we're going to see how it originated. Well, let's close in prayer.
When we realize the cosmic nature of this great warfare – and Father, we're a little overwhelmed by it all. We tend to think in such provincial and such narrow and small patterns. We can't even conceive of this great conflict that goes on before Your throne in heaven, in which we get swept up and caught up, and the purposes that You have and that Satan has within Your sovereignty for people like Job and people like David and like Israel, purposes that You have even for those great apostles, Peter and Paul, purposes that You have for us in which You, the sovereign God, have the forces of darkness working for our purging and our purification and Your ultimate glory. Father, such insights are so profound the world doesn't know about this. They only know what they can see and hear, smell, touch, and taste. They know nothing of the other world, for it can only be known as You reveal it to us.
And how we rejoice that though Satan is a supernatural and powerful being and though he has millions of demons, millions upon millions, hundreds of millions, aiding his enterprises, he never steps one inch beyond Your sovereign purpose. And he can never destroy Your own beloved people. Nor can he successfully bring an accusation against us. We thank You for the great confidence expressed by the apostle Paul when he said, "Who will bring a charge against God's elect?" God is the one who justifies. He's the One who took off the filthy robes and put on a clean garment, even His own righteousness to cover us. Who is the one who condemns? Not Christ Jesus, for He is the One who died and was raised, who is at the right hand of God interceding for us.
Therefore no matter what Satan does, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, not tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword. Not death or life or angels or principalities or things present or things to come or powers or height or depth or anything other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. We thank You for that confidence. And we thank You that even with all of Satan's maneuverings in the end You will accomplish Your glorious purpose. And he will be cast forever into the lake of fire, having been used only to achieve what You desired for Your glory. We praise You and thank You for this great confidence in Christ's name. Amen.
This article is also available and sold as a booklet.


text:
I am starting my first serious DIY project - converting our garage into a playroom for the kids. The garage floor is concrete.
My plan is to run timber (Sawn Kiln Dried Timber (L)3000 x (W)75 x (T)47mm - B&Q) joists across the concrete floor. Then put down an MDF floor, put down carpet mat and carpet.
I want the room to be warm all year round (we live in Ireland), so I'm going to put insulation between the joists in the floor. The insulation will be Jablite Flooring Polyboard. It comes in both 50MM and 75MM.
As my joists are going to be 75MM tall, should I opt for the 50MM or 75MM insulation polyboard and why? (will it make the floor more stable using 75MM, or will it decrease the insulations effect not having an air gap?)


text:
Manning's new lawyer decries 35-year sentence
Army Private Chelsea Manning's 35-year sentence for leaking reams of classified information is out of proportion with the offenses for which she was convicted, the lawyer who will represent her in court-martial appeals said Tuesday.
Manning began serving her confinement at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., in August for sending hundreds of thousands of secret military and diplomatic documents, plus some battlefield video, to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks. Manning retained Albuquerque, N.M., attorney Nancy Hollander and her law partner Vincent Ward last month for the next phase of her military court proceedings.
Hollander pointed out in a telephone interview that Manning's sentence far exceeds the prison terms of 2 1/2 years or less that U.S. courts have given to others who disclosed government secrets to media.
"It's a very long sentence compared to other sentences for similar kinds of situations that I'm aware of, or even dissimilar situations like rape and murder," Hollander said.
Military prosecutors at Manning's trial called the former intelligence analyst an anarchist hacker and traitor who indiscriminately leaked information she had sworn to protect, knowing it would be seen by al-Qaida. It was among the largest leaks of classified information in U.S. history.
Manning supporters consider her a whistleblower who exposed U.S. war crimes and diplomatic hypocrisy while working in Iraq.
Manning, then known as Bradley Manning, was convicted in July of 20 crimes, including six violations of the Espionage Act, but was acquitted of the most serious charge, aiding the enemy. After sentencing, Manning declared a desire to live as a woman named Chelsea, having been diagnosed with gender dysphoria.
With good behavior, the 26-year-old from Oklahoma could be released as early as February 2020, according to her trial attorney, David Coombs.
Hollander said it would be premature to discuss legal strategy, since she hasn't yet received a transcript of Manning's trial from which to begin crafting an appeal.
Nevertheless, "I know the issues that I believe are some of the main issues that will come up," Hollander said. Beside the sentence length, she said the case raises issues "big issues" about freedom of information and why the government keeps certain things secret.
"It's the kind of work we do, and it's a righteous case," Hollander said.
Hollander's background includes national security and civil-rights issues. She currently represents two Guantanamo Bay detainees in U.S. Military Commissions proceedings, including Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, accused of orchestrating the 2000 al-Qaida attack on the USS Cole in Yemen.
Hollander has no military court experience but her partner Ward is a former Navy prosecutor.
Manning can't file an appeal until Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan, commander of the Military District of Washington, D.C., has finalized the trial findings. Coombs has asked Buchanan to reverse the convictions and 35-year sentence.
Coombs is not representing Manning in appeals but is helping her pursue a legal name change and hormone replacement therapy in prison.
WikiLeaks' publication of diplomatic cables, warzone logs and videos embarrassed the U.S. government and its allies. U.S. officials warned of dire consequences in the days immediately after the first disclosures in July 2010, but a Pentagon review later suggested those fears might have been overblown.


text:
I bet you thought I was done! Well, this is the last one for tonight, I promise, and believe me, I saved the best for last. Mantissa 0.4.1 brings some really fantastic features.
First up is the Tabular Data Browser. This is some pretty awesome stuff. Basically it is not even worth trying to describe with words. Go signup for a free ClickChronicle account and see for yourself. After you have accumulated a few clicks, you'll be able to browse them and page around and so forth: the HTML interface which allows you to do this is the TDB Controller. It is an Athena Widget that lets one page through the results of an Axiom query. The columns are customizable. The actions are customizable. The skin is customizable. All you have to do to get one of these things in your Mantissa application is instantiate TabularDataView with the customizations you desire and drop it onto a page someplace. Bam.
So now you're really excited about using the TDB. You need to write a Mantissa application before you can take advantage of it, though. Fortunately, the other big improvement in this release is that writing a Mantissa application has gotten way easier. What you do now is write an IOffering plugin. It looks something like this:
from axiom import iaxiom, scheduler, userbase
from xmantissa import website, offering, provisioning
from clickchronicle import clickapp, publicpage, prods
import clickchronicle
chronicler = provisioning.BenefactorFactory(
name = u'clickchronicle',
description = u'An application with which to chronicle the clicks of you.',
benefactorClass = clickapp.ClickChronicleBenefactor)
clicks = provisioning.BenefactorFactory(
name = u'clickchronicle-clicks',
description = u'Add some clicks to the click limit',
benefactorClass = prods.ClickIncreaser,
dependencies = [chronicler])
plugin = offering.Offering(
name = u"ClickChronicle",
description = u"""
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow; a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
siteRequirements = [
(iaxiom.IScheduler, scheduler.Scheduler),
(userbase.IRealm, userbase.LoginSystem),
(None, website.WebSite)],
appPowerups = [
benefactorFactories = [chronicler, clicks])
Actually, it might look exactly like this. This is the actual ClickChronicle IOffering plugin. Note that it is essentially all content: the boilerplate consists almost exclusively of importing modules and appeasing the Gods of Python syntax. This plugin assembles all the pieces which make up ClickChronicle into a coherent unit which can be deployed on a Mantissa server.
enumerate which must be available from the "site store", which contains such things as the credentials database and the webserver configuration. appPowerups
defines which Powerups are required by the "app store", at least one of which is created for each application (ie, ClickChronicle); these can (and in this case, do) define the look of the public page for this application, as well as any other behavior which is not clearly attributable to a particular user.
, predictably, defines a list of factories which create benefactor objects. A benefactor in Mantissa is an Item responsible for endowing a user with new functionality. In the case of ClickChronicle, there are two kinds of benefactors: one endows a user with the application itself, letting them record clicks and later browse them; the other raises the limit on the number of clicks the user is allowed to store. Note also that the latter depends on the former, indicating that benefactors produced by clicks
cannot endow a user who has not first been endowed by a benefactor produced by chronicler
Confused yet? If not, awesome. Go write some kick-ass Mantissa application. If so, don't worry. I'm going to be writing some more in-depth documentation about the Offering system in the days to come.


text:
Prof Stephen Sparks said that few pupils took maths beyond the age of 16 after being "put off" by test-driven lessons in primary and secondary school.
He said classes often focused on the dry "procedures" behind sums to make sure children pass exams instead of passing on a well-rounded understanding of the subject.
Only one in eight teenagers studies maths in the sixth-form, leaving Britain trailing behind many other developed nations. Between 50 and 100 per cent of teenagers in other countries, including the Czech Republic, Estonia, Fin-
land, Japan and Korea, study maths to a decent level, the figures show. Prof Sparks, chairman of the Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education (ACME), which represents academics and teachers, said the number of pupils failing to take A-level maths "puts us at a real anomaly internationally and likely affects our economic competitiveness".
The comments came as The Daily Telegraph started a campaign, Make Britain Count, to highlight the scale of the mathematical crisis and provide parents with tools to boost their children's numeracy.
The Nuffield Foundation compared the number of pupils studying advanced maths in 24 industrialised countries. Around 13 per cent of students took
A-levels in the subject in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, numbers reached around a quarter. In almost every other nation, more than half of pupils took advanced maths courses, while in eight countries, including South Korea, Russia, Sweden and Taiwan, maths was compulsory until the age of 18.
Prof Sparks called for the majority of pupils to study maths up to the age of 18, and said that some teenagers should take tailored courses "between a GCSE and A-level". "The reason some people are being put off maths is related to that issue of teaching to the test," he said. "Schools are given a big incentive to make sure pupils pass tests, which doesn't necessarily mean that they get the well-rounded understanding that a good education requires."


text:
PRESS RELEASE: For over 135 years, Epiphone instruments have provided musicians worldwide with the best in quality, design, performance and value. In today's challenging economy, that combination is as important as ever before.
Epiphone has announced an exclusive, limited time promotion that gives consumers the opportunity to purchase any new Epiphone guitar for $500 or more at any authorized US retailer (all 50 states included) and receive the new GuitarRig Mobile free. Supplies are limited and packages will be available only for as long as the supply lasts.
From the pioneer and market leader in software instruments, Native Instruments, Guitar Rig Mobile turns any Epiphone guitar and your computer into a powerful and easy-to-use guitar recording and performance rig.
Combining the new ultra-compact Guitar Rig Mobile I/O USB 2.0 audio interface with the versatile Guitar Rig 3 LE software, it offers studio-grade sound quality and a wide range of creative features that allows musicians and producers to plug in and play anywhere without any compromises.
No larger than a cigarette pack, the bus-powered Guitar Rig Mobile I/O provides the professional sound quality of Native Instruments' audio interface range in a package that literally fits in a pocket.
At the same time, the interface offers an uncompromising feature set with stereo high-impedance inputs and outputs featuring 24bit/192 kHz Cirrus Logic audio converters, I/O volume dials, and multi-purpose low-latency drivers for Windows and Mac OS X.
The included Guitar Rig 3 LE software offers the acclaimed versatility and ease-of-use of the industry-leading Guitar Rig platform. Three charismatic amp emulations for guitar and bass, 12 classic effect units, and a wide selection of cabinets, all freely combinable within a "virtual rack", make it easy to create authentic custom tones for any musical genre.
The software also includes two virtual tape decks, tuner and metronome, to facilitate all typical guitar applications from recording, live performance and rehearsal to instrument learning and tuition.
You must purchase your new Epiphone instrument between May 1, 2009 and June 30, 2009 and supplies are limited. (Offer good for US customers only. Void where prohibited.)
For more information, visit www.epiphone.com.
Information taken from official press release
Sign up for our free weekly newsletter
The free MusicRadar newsletter serves up the week's biggest artist and product news stories alongside exclusive tuition and gear reviews. Sign up here!
Follow MusicRadar on Twitter
Get instant updates and bonus content plus chat with the team. Start here!


text:
WASHINGTON, D. C., 8/2/2011: The American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections (AMT)*, a national coalition of major Muslim organizations, today issued a statement to express its commitment to the people of Kashmir and their peaceful struggle for self-determination and to reaffirm Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai's constitutional rights and the presumption of innocence afforded to every person in the United States.
Having carried out a heroic struggle under most difficult circumstances, Dr. Fai has become the globally-recognized face of Kashmiri public diplomacy.
AMT said in a statement:
"Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, a respected community activist and leader, has a right to the presumption of innocence and the right to a competent legal defense, the cost of which will require community support.
"Equally important for us is to ensure that the cause of Kashmir finds a peaceful expression in the United States. All the constitutional protections afforded any American citizen must remain available to Kashmiri-Americans and to all those who support the Kashmiri right to self-determination."
"Let no one be deluded into thinking that the present restrictions on the Kashmiri American Council (KAC) will mean banning of advocacy on behalf of the long-suffering people of Kashmir.
"We urge President Obama to ensure that the recent pro-India shift in US policy, clearly manifested in Sec of State Clinton's speech in India, will not be used by law enforcement agencies to stifle national debate about the future of Kashmir."
*AMT is an umbrella organization that includes American Muslim Alliance (AMA), American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA), Muslim American Society-Freedom (MAS-F), Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA), Muslim Ummah of North America (MUNA), National Association of Imams (NAIF) and United Muslims of America (UMA).
In addition, this statement has been signed by the Islamic Educational Center of Orange County and Islamic Shura Council of Southern California.
CONTACT: AMT Chair Dr. Agha Saeed: email@example.com
Peaceful way is the best solution, however history reveals that India is not going to do so, Kashmiris themselves have to struggle physically to oust Indian forces


text:
A new census shows LA County has 38% fewer homeless people than it did two years ago, still more than any place else in America. Is the count really accurate? Will ethics investigations mean political trouble for two local members of Congress or their party? Plus, what's the meaning of The Day of the Dead? On our rebroadcast of today's To the Point, Abdullah Abdullah has dropped out, so there won't be a run-off, and Hamid Karzai will get a second term as President of Afghanistan. Will he be "credible" to his own people or to President Obama as he decides whether to send more American soldiers?
Banner image: A man who goes by the name 'Pepper' enters his sloping bedroom on the concrete banks of the Los Angeles River on January 18, 2006 in Los Angeles, California. Photo: David McNew/Getty Images


text:
List: $14.99
| Sale: $10.50
Club: $7.49
On Writing Well Audio Collection
Author: William Zinsser
Narrator: William Zinsser
Abridged: 2 hr 23 min
Format: Digital Audiobook Download
Publisher: Harper Audio
Published: 11/02/2004
The classic works on the art of nonfiction writing are now in a complete package for your listening pleasure.This expanded CD collection presents William Zinsser's On Writing Well, the classic teaching book that has sold more than 1 million copies, together with a new 90-minute section that tells you how to write a memoir.Based on a course that Zinsser taught at Yale, On Writing Well has long been praised by writers, teachers and students for its sound advice, its clarity and the warmth of its style. It's for everybody who wants to learn how to write or who needs to do some writing to get through the day. Whether you want to write about people and places, science and technology, business, sports or the arts, this is the definitive guide to the craft of nonfiction.Part II of this collection—on memoir, personal history and family history—tells you in helpful detail how to write the story of your life: who you are, who you once were, and what heritage you come from. Throughout, Zinsser refers to the work of many successful memoir writers, including Frank McCourt, Annie Dillard, Russell Baker and Eudora Welty, to demonstrate how they solved the problems of selection, compression, focus and tone that every memoir writer struggles with.


text:
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | RSS
This week on Inside PR, Terry and David have a discussion about the PR stunt. They welcome comments from Julia Stein and Sallie Goetsch. They play Chris Clarke's comment for this week. Finally, Terry does his segment of Inside PRoper English.
Show Notes
00:27 David introduces the show. He invites listener feedback through email at [email protected], the comment line at 206-600-4741, or comment on the Inside PR show blog.
01:17 Terry mentions the podcast he recorded with Shel Holtz and released as an IPR Special Edition.
04:30 David talks about the Canadian Institute's New Media for Communications conference, which is taking place November 28th and 29th. Terry and David will both be speaking at the event.
06:30 David introduces and Terry reads a comment on the blog from Sallie Goetsch (rhymes with sketch).
09:30 David introduces a listener comment from Julia Stein, a colleague of David's from Fleishman Hillard. She asks two questions: one about writing, and the other about leadership.
12:10 Terry recommends not only writing a lot but also reading a lot to improve writing skills. David tells a story about his own writing.
15:15 David says that leadership is parts maturity, confidence, and experience.
17:20 Terry mentions that you can learn just as much from people who you don't see eye-to-eye with than from those you consider mentors.
19:20 Terry tells a story about leadership from his time in university.
20:00 This week's major topic for discussion: the role of stunts in PR. Terry thinks that stunts play a smaller role than most people assume in PR, and that they should be used as a tactic, not a strategy. Terry talks about a stunt he and David worked on many years ago.
22:40 David talks about the stunt as a means for a quick hit.
25:25 Terry points out that the public view is that the stunt is all there is to PR. He notes that the stunt is ususally what gets the most attention from the media, which makes the public view it as the only part of a campaign instead of one aspect of a campaign.
27:06 David advises to use stunts wisely. He also points out that award-winning campaigns often revolve around stunts, which he considers unfortunate.
29:13 David introduces and plays Chris Clarke's segment for the week.
34:20 Inside PRoper English for the week: tricky singular forms
36:00 Terry closes the show and invites listener comments: through email at [email protected], on the comment line at 206-600-4741, or comment on the Inside PR show blog. Also, they welcomes listeners to the Inside PR Blubrry site.
Music: our theme music is Streetwalker by CJacks, and is from the Podsafe Music Network; Roger Dey is our announcer.


text:
Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Approved Program to Bolster Skilled Workforce
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors approved $12 million in funding to provide apprenticeship opportunities for county residents, bolstering the pipeline of skilled workers in a variety of career fields. The program is estimated to support a total of 3,000 people find apprenticeships through 2026.
The vote took place during National Apprenticeship Week, a national observation that highlights the importance of collaboration between government leaders, education providers, industry, employers, and the workforce to show the value of apprenticeships in building a skilled workforce.
Recognized as a national leader in apprenticeship enrollments by the U.S. Department of Labor, the Maricopa County Human Services Department, in partnership with the Maricopa County Workforce Development Board helped 348 people successfully attain apprenticeships through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) in Fiscal Year 2022 and has a 95% success rate for placing apprentices in jobs.
"One thing we know for sure is that Maricopa County is a growing community that offers a great quality of life. With this growth comes the need for more people with the skills to provide healthcare and bring new commercial buildings to house grocery stores, schools, and restaurants," said Chairman Bill Gates, District 3. "I'm proud that Maricopa County is leading the way to offer rewarding career paths for our residents through these apprenticeships that will help fill in-demand jobs while strengthening our community and economy."
The apprenticeship opportunities will direct participants to career pathways that support the major industry drivers of the local economy, including construction, healthcare, information technology, and advanced manufacturing.
In addition to providing $12 million in apprenticeship opportunities, Maricopa County announced several other initiatives for innovative college and career opportunities to develop long-term success and build a skilled workforce for in-demand careers. These efforts have included:
The funding is part of Maricopa County's $435 million allocation of the federal American Rescue Plan Act which delivers a wide variety of services to help people recover from the effects of the pandemic. For more information on the apprenticeship program, visit Maricopa.gov/HSD and find financial, housing, legal, wellness, and educational assistance available at Maricopa.gov/Rescue.
The Maricopa County Human Services Department (HSD) builds resiliency in the community and promotes the well-being of County residents experiencing adversity through a variety of programs and services to help people and families thrive. These opportunities include early childhood education, housing, and homeownership, independent living services for seniors and adults with disabilities, career development for job seekers, workforce development services for businesses, and support for people experiencing homelessness. HSD is committed to delivering innovative, equitable, inclusive, and comprehensive services in a collaborative approach that preserves dignity, promotes respect, and facilitates social and economic mobility. Learn more about the financial, educational, and support resources available to Maricopa County residents at Maricopa.gov/HSD.


text:
Many people have straps and trouser clips to keep their pants out of the bicycle chain, but I also like the snaps on my Prana climbing pants that help keep the pant leg rolled up and out of the way.
Josh in Kansas City shows how he put his own snaps on his cycling pants.
H/T to Warren.